Guillermo del Toro Can’t Catch A Break

Let’s be clear, Guillermo del Toro doesn’t need my sympathy because I imagine he’s quite content making some of the most innovative genre movies in recent memory.

That being said, he also can’t seem to catch a break. His latest, the Gothic RomanceCrimson Peak, has currently earned almost $28 million worldwide, after four days.

That’s not a long time, you might be thinking, and you’d be right though the problem is that del Toro’s movie is rated R, which means that no one under seventeen can see the movie without a parent or guardian (which limits your argument pool significantly, as if the fact you’re making a gothic romance didn’t do that already).

Which is the exact opposite of a movie like Goosebumps, which is PG and has earned almost double that amount domestically.

Worldwide numbers for the movie isn’t available yet, but I am comfortable that they will add somewhere in the ballpark $10-20 million.

Del Toro brings a passion, a love to what’s he’s doing that isn’t comparable to any other director, and it’s a bit of a bummer to see so many of his efforts not bear fruit.

Here’s a partial list of del Toro features.

• Crimson Peak – it’s early days yet, but it’s not looking good.

• Pacific Rim – the sequel’s a go, based on strong international performance (like Terminator: Genesys) which is a good thing because domestic performance wasn’t that great (also like Terminator: Genesys).

• Justice League Dark – I’m not sure why why when del Toro left this project, and to be honest I thought he was the only person advocating for it, till he left the project that is, and suddenly DC Entertainment began talking about it.

• The Hobbit – You didn’t know that Guillermo del Toro was originally going to direct? It’s true. He wrote the movie with Peter Jackson and Phillipa Boyens, and would have directed if it weren’t for problems with MGM. Tired of waiting, del Toro left the project, and the rest is history.

As I said earlier, del Toro doesn’t need my sympathy, though my money doesn’t seem to be enough either.